Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, Director of the UNHCR Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa, highlighted in a press briefing that while the majority of displaced individuals remain within their home countries, cross-border movements are becoming increasingly common. This trend places significant strain on host communities and national infrastructure.

These ongoing population movements are occurring at a time when humanitarian access is severely restricted and funding is critically low. In the Sahel, humanitarian needs have surged dramatically, yet available resources have seen a substantial decline since 2022.

Budgetary Shortfalls Impact Critical Services

The UNHCR is advocating for a renewed and strengthened international commitment to tackle the profound crisis in the central Sahel. The nations within the region are simply unable to manage these extensive challenges alone. For the current year, the agency has secured less than one-third of its requested $409 million appeal.

Essential operations such as registration, documentation, education, healthcare, and shelter provisions have been severely compromised. Mr. Gnon-Konde further noted that “over 212,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger remain unregistered, which limits their access to vital services and heightens their vulnerability to arbitrary detention and harassment.”

These significant budget cuts coincide with ongoing violence perpetrated by jihadist groups. The pervasive insecurity across the region exposes populations to violence, forced recruitment, restrictions on movement, and arbitrary detention.

Women and children constitute a staggering 80% of those forcibly displaced in the area, and gender-based violence remains a profound and widespread concern. Reports from the inter-agency protection monitoring system in West and Central Africa indicate a considerable increase in incidents affecting individuals this year.

Thousands of Schools Forced to Close

Amidst this climate of instability, more than 900 health facilities have also been compelled to cease operations, leaving millions without access to crucial medical care. Across the entire region, over 14,800 schools had closed their doors by mid-2025, denying 3 million children access to education and safe environments. This dire situation further exposes “forcibly displaced youth to forced recruitment and human trafficking.”

Furthermore, food insecurity has emerged as an escalating driver of displacement; the proportion of displaced people and host community members citing it as a reason for their movement has doubled in recent years.

According to the UNHCR, climate-related shocks exacerbate existing risks, intensifying competition for scarce natural resources like land and water, and creating additional barriers to peaceful coexistence and social cohesion within host communities.